Women Share Their Weirdest Period Syptoms

1. Catastrophic Thoughts

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Whilst it's no surprise that your period impacts mood, it's also been proven to affect cognitive function, leading to a whole host of symptoms. Extreme anxiety or obsessive-compulsive thoughts are all too common for some women around their period. Leading to worst-case scenario thoughts.

2. Extremely Sensitive Skin

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A survey showed that hormone changes have been proven to affect the sensitivity of 42% of women's skin. Some women's eczema or psoriasis flare up or worsen during their periods. This happens because of a decrease in estrogen and a rise in progesterone.

3. Mouth and Gum Pain

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Your gums have receptors for the sex hormones. When your hormones surge, your mouth finds it more difficult to fight off plaque formation, which can lead to pain. Some women report sensitivity when brushing their teeth or eating cold food/drink during their period.

4. Shortness of Breath

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Even your breathing patterns can be affected based on where abouts you are in your cycle. Just before your period starts, you're more likely to get out of breath much quicker whilst exercising. Shortness of breath is a reported symptom of PMS by many women.

5. Nipple and Breast Tenderness

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Have you ever had to sleep in your bra because it's just too painful to take off? Because the extreme heaviness of your boobs and chafing of your nipples is a fear you'd rather avoid? Some women say walking down the stairs is more painful during their period for these reasons, too.

6. Slow Muscle Recovery

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A great excuse for a rest week. During the week before your period, your muscles heal much more slowly, leaving you feeling extra sore and achy. Any bodily damage such as bruises can also take a bit longer to heal before menstruating in some women.

7. Meat Cravings

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When you're losing blood, you're at risk of losing too much iron. Some women report that they have big cravings for steaks, burgers and other meaty meals. Even if they're not usually all that into meat! This is the body's clever way of boosting your iron levels.

8. Negative Body Image

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Both mental and physical changes happen around the time of your period. You're more bloated than usual and struggling more to exercise. Also, your emotions and mood are negatively impacted. So, cut yourself some slack! It's common to feel a little down and some women experience symptoms of body dysmorphia as a result.

9. Losing Interest in Daily Activities or Relationships

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Losing interest in things that normally bring you joy can happen as a result of feelings of depression. Low mood is common around the time of your period. The ups and downs of hormones can also play a role in how you feel towards your partner. Another reason is irritability, they could just be downright annoying!

10. Migraines

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At least 60% of American women reported that they have noticed a link between their periods and migraines. Most women say that they experience migraines just before their period begins. Kind of like a horrible, painful warning sign of what's to come.

11. Weird Poop

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You must have heard of period poop, right?! Well, it's a thing and there's a good reason for it. Fatty acids act to relax the muscle tissue inside your uterus ready to shed the lining. The fatty acids have the same impact on your bowels, causing more frequent poop and sometimes diarrhea.

12. Brain Fog

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Periods affect your cognitive function. Have we given enough reasons for period leave from work yet?! Real changes happen in your brain, including a drop in serotonin which not only effects mood, but keeps you sharp. It's no wonder so many women report struggling with brain fog around their period.

13. Memory Issues

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There has been scientific evidence to show that high estrogen levels allow for absorbing more information and improving memory. Low estrogen levels, which happen around the time of your period, are linked to difficulty learning and recalling facts or events.

14. Clumsiness

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Have you ever noticed you're stumbling, dropping things or just being more sloppy with movements when your period is approaching? Well, I'm here to validate you. Decrease in estrogen can affect balance and vision, making you more clumsy during the days leading to your period.

15. Bleeding From Eyes

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There's an albeit rare condition which can cause bleeding from your eyes, nose or even nipples. Vicarious menstruation basically leads to bleeding from organs which are outside of the uterus. Sounds terrifying, right? There are only a handful of cases recorded of this condition.

16. Cold Sores

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Some women reported an outbreak of cold sores just before their period begins. This can happen due to the rise and fall of hormone levels. But also, cold sores are triggered when you're run down or stressed. Both commonly come hand in hand with PMS.

17. Easy Bruising

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Easily bruising leading up to your period can happen to a lot of women, for a lot of reasons. One examples is low iron, another is the body's slower ability to repair. But also the drop in estrogen reduces stimulation of collagen oils. As a result, your skin is drier and more likely to bruise.

18. Numbness or Tingling in Arms/Legs

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Some women have reported that their legs or arms can go numb when they get their period. Others have said they get a pins and needles like sensation. The culprit for causing these symptoms is again down to the fluctuation in hormones within your body.

19. Fainting

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Low blood sugar, low blood pressure, anemia, dizziness and less blood volume. Sounds fun. These can all be worsened when you get your period. If you're one of the unlucky ones who suffer from this, you might be familiar with fainting spells before and during your period.

20. Insomnia

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Apart from the excruciating period pains keeping you up at night, there are other reasons you can't sleep during your period. Progesterone levels can have an impact on your sleep and so can mood. Anxiety and racing thoughts can happen before or during your period, making it harder to relax.

21. Nervousness

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Hormone shifts present differently in everyone. A lot of women can feel anxious on the days leading up to their period. With anxiety can come a feeling of nervousness. Lack of confidence due to body image can also be a reason for some women to feel more nervous.

22. Swelling of Ankles, Hands or Feet

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Bloating is commonly recognised as a symptom of your period. This can happen because of water retention. So, naturally, water retention can present itself in different parts of your body! Some women notice swollen, stiff or achey ankles, hands and feet.

23. Hot Flashes

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Have you ever noticed you're sweating a little more than normal after your gym workout when your period is coming? Or, maybe feeling a sudden heat usually in your neck or face whilst doing your normal day to day activities? This can be a symptom of PMS!

24. Acne

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As if we didn't already feel bad enough during our period, acne is here to help us feel even worse! Fluctuating hormones affect the oils in your skin, leading to break outs. I mean, it could also be down to that entire 14" pizza your cravings made you demolish...

25. Difficulty Concentrating

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It's kind of hard to concentrate when it feels like your uterus is about to implode. Or, when you're worried that the tsunami you just felt is gonna show through your trousers. These concerns aside, hormones impact your brain and can affect your concentration span.

26. Paranoia

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It's not uncommon for women to feel paranoid around the time of their period. Anxiety and low mood can affect how you see the world and perceive interactions. Plus, when you're already feeling bad about yourself, it's hard not to overthink the way your partner is looking at that girl on TV.

27. Lack of Control

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So, your period isn't an excuse to turn into a crazy person. However, it is factually more difficult to control your emotions and therefore impulses. When your anger is a little out of control, you're short on sleep and feeling paranoid, some people can act in ways they wouldn't usually.

28. Confusion

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Sometimes, women may notice feeling confused before and during their period. So, if you hit the curb whilst driving on your period, don't be hard on yourself. Women can find it more difficult to to take in information and make a decisions during day to day tasks.

29. Pelvic Heaviness

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A lot of women can literally feel the heaviness of the blood in their uterus. Especially at the start of your period as blood volume is high, water retention, gas and bloating are present. It's no wonder that it can sometimes feel like there's a weight around your nether regions.

30. Constipation and Spasms

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Some women have the opposite problem of a relaxed bowel during their periods. High progesterone levels can cause difficulty in bowel movements and constipation. Women of the internet have also discussed period 'booty lightning'. That's the horrible electric shooting you feel when on the toilet caused by spasms!